ALBUM REVIEW: Past Lives by Against the Current

NEVER ones to go with the flow, New York three-piece Against the Current are back with another album packed full of attitude.

But where their punchy pop-rock debut In Our Bones swept me along with its guitar riffs, thumping beats and catchy choruses, follow-up Past Lives is something of a damp squib.

There are still a few highlights and opening track Strangers Again and the uncompromising I Like the Way stand up against most of what went before, but the album suffers from too many nothing tracks which commit the cardinal musical sin of dullness.

It’s not fair to expect a band to stand still and simply replicate what worked before, and frontwoman Chrissy Costanza and co have tried to spread their wings a little.

But the regret at failed relationships is never quite convincing, while other stabs at a perceived maturity — references to smoking, the repeated use of the F-word on one track — are liable to jar with both the older and younger end of their audience.

The most significant problem, though, is a lack of killer tunes.

I loved the hooks and memorable choruses of In Our Bones, but I was also impressed how ATC mixed it up and showed they had a few decent rock ballads up their sleeves.

But for the most part, Past Live is punctuated by repetitive choruses, forgettable melodies and too much filler.

It even lacks the storming finish of its predecessor.

I found myself skipping back to listen to tracks one and three several times — a sure sign the album peters out too soon. 

Not so many Against the Current as lacking sufficient spark.

It may improve with further listens, but the first impression is one of major disappointment.